`** | **70–90 characters** | **Data-validated range. 70–79 is acceptable on SmartNews—this extends below the universal 80-character minimum.** | *The SmartNews headline is pulled directly from the RSS `<title>` field, which is the standard SEO title. Write the SEO title to SmartNews spec and it serves both purposes.* ### Formula Constraints (data-validated) - **Avoid question headlines**—underperform on SmartNews; read velocity rewards clarity and immediate payoff over curiosity gaps - **Avoid "What to Know" endings**—underperform platform-wide - **Number-led headlines trend positive**—e.g., "7 Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill This Summer" - Plain declarative statements are the safe baseline—e.g., "Florida Property Taxes Are Rising. Here's What Homeowners Need to Do." - Keyword-forward—front-load the core topic in the first 8 words ### Casing - Follow destination site style guide (sentence case for CUE) > For article structure, image requirements, analytics, and full discoverability guidance, see [Platform Guidance §10.1—SmartNews]({{ "/docs/platform-smartnews" | relative_url }}). </details>  <details markdown="1"> <summary>Push Notifications</summary> *Applies to: all outlets distributing via push notification (CUE, WordPress with push enabled)* ### Character Counts | Field | Range | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Push notification headline** | **70–89 characters** | **Data-validated: 1.45% median CTR in this range for news brands (n=874, p<0.05). Notifications truncate at ~80 characters on most mobile devices—front-load the most important information.** | ### Formula Constraints - **Front-load the news**—truncation means the first 80 characters carry nearly all the weight; do not bury the subject - **No question headlines**—underperform on both Apple News and SmartNews organic reach; avoid for push as well - **No "Did you miss"**—low-performing format across all distribution surfaces - **Specificity over curiosity**—push recipients decide in under a second; a specific, clear headline outperforms a teaser > **Note:** Push notification character counts are distinct from Apple News (90–120) and SmartNews (70–90) ranges. The 70–89 window is optimized for mobile truncation behavior, not feed display. </details> <details markdown="1"> <summary>Trend Hunter B2C</summary> *Publication: Trend Hunter B2C (curiosity-first trend publication; July 2026 launch). Full spec: [Platform Guidance §10.4]({{ "/docs/trend-hunter-b2c" | relative_url }}) §Headlines.* ### Character Counts | Element | Standard | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Headline (H1)** | **90–104 characters** | Data-validated sweet spot (TH Headline Analysis 2026-06-02, 368 articles): 90–104 peaks (614 avg PV); <75 drops to 352, 105+ falls off (340); corpus median 86. Overrides the universal 80–100. A destination distribution-platform range (Apple News 90–120, SmartNews 70–90) takes precedence when the piece is platform-bound | ### Punctuation (override General Guidelines) - **No em-dash (—), en-dash (–), colon (:), or semicolon (;)** in public-facing headlines or body. Colons underperform; em/en-dashes read as an AI-generation tell. Hyphens (-) in compounds are fine. Restructure rather than substitute one banned mark for another. Avoid unless a destination platform's standard requires the mark. ### Formula + Intent - **Match intent to the article's job:** What/Why drive reach (discovery, bridge entry points); How drives engagement depth (deep explainers). - **Name the credentialed expert / source / study in the headline**—the single strongest performance lever (roughly double the page views, higher engagement). - **Don't default to "Everything to Know"**—no measurable lift, overpromises (click then bounce). Use only when coverage is genuinely comprehensive and a specific subject leads. ### Openings - **First scroll must deliver what the headline promised**—especially Experiences + travel round-ups, which land the click but lose readers when the open doesn't pay off. </details> --- ## Format-Specific Headline Formulas Each article format uses a specific headline formula that overrides the generic General Guidelines pattern. These are the locked or required formulas—consult the full format spec for SEO title rules, casing, and pre-publish checklist.  {% assign formats_group = site.data.navigation.main | where_exp: "item", "item.title == 'Article Formats'" | first %} {% for format in formats_group.children %} {% include headline-formulas/{{ format.match }}.html %} {% endfor %} --- > ⚠️ Additional outlet-specific standards are pending. Add each outlet as a `<details>` block above the template comment following the pattern shown.

# Headlines Universal headline rules are defined in [General Guidelines]({{ "/docs/brand-guidelines" | relative_url }}). This section documents outlet-specific headline standards—character counts, casing rules, formula variations, and CMS-specific requirements—that override or extend the universal rules for each distribution destination. Each outlet's standards can be expanded below.

Universal Defaults (All Outlets)

*These apply to all outlets unless an outlet-specific block below says otherwise.* ### Character Counts - **Headline (H1):** 80–100 characters - **SEO Title:** 50–70 characters - **Promo/Homepage Title:** 70–75 characters - **Meta Description:** 100–155 characters ### Casing Rules - Follow General Guidelines §1.2 unless the outlet specifies otherwise - **CUE (McClatchy CMS):** Sentence case—capitalize the first word and proper nouns only - **Us Weekly (UsW) and WW:** Title case—capitalize all major words - Adjust casing per destination site style guide before publishing ### Formula Variations - Default to General Guidelines headline formulas (§1.2) - "Everything You Need to Know" / "Everything to Know" patterns per article format spec (§3) - **Avoid "Did you miss" headlines**—historically associated with low performance (under 100 views median, ceiling ~65 PVs across 31 stories). Replace with original content framing instead. ### CMS-Specific Notes - See Publishing Guidelines §6 for platform-specific CMS requirements ### Additional Rules - See General Guidelines §1.3 for explicit language prohibitions that apply to all headlines

Us Weekly (UsW)

*Vertical:* Entertainment / Celebrity ### Required Tools Run every hed through both tools before sending to edit/publishing: - **Word/character counter:** [wordcounter.net](https://wordcounter.net/)—use this specific tool; slight count differences exist between tools, so everyone using the same one keeps results consistent - **Capitalization checker:** [headlinecapitalization.com](https://headlinecapitalization.com/)—toggle AP style on ### Character Counts | Field | Range | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Onpage hed (H1)** | 80 min / 90–100 target | Longest of the three heds; prime real estate—use as much as possible | | **Promo/Homepage hed** | 70–75 characters | Must not get cut off on the homepage | | **SEO hed** | 50–70 characters | Aim to use as much space as possible | | **Meta description** | 100–155 characters | Use as much space as possible | ### Casing Rules - Title case—capitalize all major words - Run heds through [headlinecapitalization.com](https://headlinecapitalization.com/) with AP style toggled on ### Hed Hierarchy All three heds should be **"sisters not twins"**—the promo and SEO heds are shorter versions of the onpage, not copies: - **Onpage** → longest; use this to fit keywords that don't fit in the SEO hed - **Promo** → medium; trim a word or two from the onpage - **SEO** → shortest; trim a word or two from the promo All three must include names, identifiers/modifiers, and verbs. ### SEO Hed: (Excl) / (Exclusive) (Excl) or (Exclusive) is **no longer required** in the SEO hed. Include it if it fits within the character limit. If not, get "exclusively" or "exclusive" into the meta description instead. To trim an over-length SEO hed: use TV show title + first name, or abbreviated TV show title + first name. Get the full title and full name into the meta description. Avoid word salad and keyword stuffing. ### Meta Description - Must include names and identifiers/modifiers - Must include verbs - Use it to place keywords that couldn't fit in the heds - No minimum, but use as much of the 155-character space as possible ### Yoast Focus Keyphrase The Yoast focus keyphrase is **different** from the story's focus keyphrase (e.g., *[Person] Does [Thing]*). - All lowercase - No punctuation - Shorter rather than longer—no hard character count - Just the facts/keywords: sometimes a celebrity name, TV show name, or both is sufficient ### Body Word Counts | Content type | Count | |---|---| | Standard article (news story/post) | 400 words minimum | | Style article (story/post) | 300 words minimum | | H2 post / explainer (total) | 500 words minimum | | Gallery or listicle intro | No specific minimum | | Breaking news jam (at publish) | Pad to 400 (500 for H2s); no intro-paragraph minimum | | Favor post | No requirement | **Google Discover:** Stories must be at least 500 words to perform well in Discover. **First 80 words:** Google crawls the first 80 words of copy in addition to heds, meta, and photos. Put your strongest keywords in the first 80 words. Do not disrupt the first 80 words or first four paragraphs with related links or inline photos. ### CMS-Specific Notes - CMS: WordPress (usmagazine.com) - Onpage hed = **Add title** field - Promo hed = **Promo Title** field (used on homepage/tag pages and sometimes social) - SEO hed = **SEO title** field in the Yoast SEO panel (also sets the story URL/slug) ### Apple News / Apple News+ **Apple News requires a separate headline—do not use the UsW onpage hed (80–100 characters) as the Apple News title.** | Field | Range | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Apple News headline** | **90–120 characters** | **110–119 is the data-validated performance sweet spot** | | Casing | Title case | Inherits UsW casing (no override) | **Formula constraints (data-validated, override General Guidelines):** - **No question headlines**—underperform in organic algorithmic reach on both Apple News and SmartNews (data-validated) - **No number-led headlines**—underperform on Apple News despite performing well on other platforms (including SmartNews) - **No "What to Know" endings**—worst-performing formula on SmartNews (pct_rank 0.37, p=3.0e-6, n=213); avoid on both platforms for organic reach See [Platform Guidance §10.2]({{ "/docs/platform-apple-news" | relative_url }}) for complete Apple News spec including subtitle requirements, AI content policy, and image specs.

SmartNews

*Distribution: SmartNews (SmartFormat RSS/XML feed)* ### Character Counts | Field | Range | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Headline / RSS ``** | **70–90 characters** | **Data-validated range. 70–79 is acceptable on SmartNews—this extends below the universal 80-character minimum.** | *The SmartNews headline is pulled directly from the RSS `<title>` field, which is the standard SEO title. Write the SEO title to SmartNews spec and it serves both purposes.* ### Formula Constraints (data-validated) - **Avoid question headlines**—underperform on SmartNews; read velocity rewards clarity and immediate payoff over curiosity gaps - **Avoid "What to Know" endings**—underperform platform-wide - **Number-led headlines trend positive**—e.g., "7 Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill This Summer" - Plain declarative statements are the safe baseline—e.g., "Florida Property Taxes Are Rising. Here's What Homeowners Need to Do." - Keyword-forward—front-load the core topic in the first 8 words ### Casing - Follow destination site style guide (sentence case for CUE) > For article structure, image requirements, analytics, and full discoverability guidance, see [Platform Guidance §10.1—SmartNews]({{ "/docs/platform-smartnews" | relative_url }}). </details>  <details markdown="1"> <summary>Push Notifications</summary> *Applies to: all outlets distributing via push notification (CUE, WordPress with push enabled)* ### Character Counts | Field | Range | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Push notification headline** | **70–89 characters** | **Data-validated: 1.45% median CTR in this range for news brands (n=874, p<0.05). Notifications truncate at ~80 characters on most mobile devices—front-load the most important information.** | ### Formula Constraints - **Front-load the news**—truncation means the first 80 characters carry nearly all the weight; do not bury the subject - **No question headlines**—underperform on both Apple News and SmartNews organic reach; avoid for push as well - **No "Did you miss"**—low-performing format across all distribution surfaces - **Specificity over curiosity**—push recipients decide in under a second; a specific, clear headline outperforms a teaser > **Note:** Push notification character counts are distinct from Apple News (90–120) and SmartNews (70–90) ranges. The 70–89 window is optimized for mobile truncation behavior, not feed display. </details> <details markdown="1"> <summary>Trend Hunter B2C</summary> *Publication: Trend Hunter B2C (curiosity-first trend publication; July 2026 launch). Full spec: [Platform Guidance §10.4]({{ "/docs/trend-hunter-b2c" | relative_url }}) §Headlines.* ### Character Counts | Element | Standard | Notes | |---|---|---| | **Headline (H1)** | **90–104 characters** | Data-validated sweet spot (TH Headline Analysis 2026-06-02, 368 articles): 90–104 peaks (614 avg PV); <75 drops to 352, 105+ falls off (340); corpus median 86. Overrides the universal 80–100. A destination distribution-platform range (Apple News 90–120, SmartNews 70–90) takes precedence when the piece is platform-bound | ### Punctuation (override General Guidelines) - **No em-dash (—), en-dash (–), colon (:), or semicolon (;)** in public-facing headlines or body. Colons underperform; em/en-dashes read as an AI-generation tell. Hyphens (-) in compounds are fine. Restructure rather than substitute one banned mark for another. Avoid unless a destination platform's standard requires the mark. ### Formula + Intent - **Match intent to the article's job:** What/Why drive reach (discovery, bridge entry points); How drives engagement depth (deep explainers). - **Name the credentialed expert / source / study in the headline**—the single strongest performance lever (roughly double the page views, higher engagement). - **Don't default to "Everything to Know"**—no measurable lift, overpromises (click then bounce). Use only when coverage is genuinely comprehensive and a specific subject leads. ### Openings - **First scroll must deliver what the headline promised**—especially Experiences + travel round-ups, which land the click but lose readers when the open doesn't pay off. </details> --- ## Format-Specific Headline Formulas Each article format uses a specific headline formula that overrides the generic General Guidelines pattern. These are the locked or required formulas—consult the full format spec for SEO title rules, casing, and pre-publish checklist.  {% assign formats_group = site.data.navigation.main | where_exp: "item", "item.title == 'Article Formats'" | first %} {% for format in formats_group.children %} {% include headline-formulas/{{ format.match }}.html %} {% endfor %} --- > ⚠️ Additional outlet-specific standards are pending. Add each outlet as a `<details>` block above the template comment following the pattern shown.